In Pursuit of #28

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The 27-Time World Champion Yankees are at spring training as you read this. They are primed and ready for the run at #28. A.J. is gone. Jeter is back. Mariano is still the best pitcher in the world, and A-Rod is free of Cameron Diaz (I think).

Perhaps he'll see fit to join the chase this year.

We only have to wait about 50 more days. Then baseball will be back and all the rest of these crap sports can take a back seat.

We went out to dinner Saturday night. Now, I'm not talking a five-star joint. We went to TGI Fridays. I got the 3 for $16.99 special. It was kind of funny but as I was putting on my coat I noticed that my shirt was dirty. I was also in sweatpants.

Hey, at least I changed out of my pajama bottoms.

Yet what would it hurt? I had a dirty shirt. I was out among people who love me, right? Jake, Sam and Kathy would share my table.

Now lets go on record here: no one was dressed to the nines.

Yet as dinner came to a close, Jake opened up on me.

"So, who picked out your outfit?" he asked.

I was a tad taken back by his quick question.

"Look at him," he said to his two people audience. "Those three hairs on his forehead are standing straight up."

"You're funny," I said.

"I can just hear him singing to Melky as he got dressed. 'Oh, Melky-doo-dee-dum, I'm going to dinner! Where did I put my filthy shirt?'"

The waitress stopped by the table. I am pretty sure that she thought she'd have to administer CPR to Kathy who was laughing so hard that she was complaining of pain.

And little Don Rickles went on. Line after line. He spoke of my singing to the dogs. He went up and down my wardrobe.

And I took it all in stride, because it was funny, and because sitting there across from him I could hear any one of my brothers, at any time in their lives, dishing out the same sort of punishment.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Little bastard.

Just a little story to make your day.

Get studying up!

Baseball is starting!

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